


There's Always Hope

by SariahHime



Series: In Every Galaxy [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Dealing With Loss, Gen, Hurt, Loss, pre-relationship sheith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 06:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7563901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SariahHime/pseuds/SariahHime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Shiro is away on the Kerberos Mission, Keith's life is moving forward as the top pilot in the Galaxy Garrison. But when bad news comes, and it looks like the mission failed, Keith is forced to deal with the aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's Always Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to set this into their real timeline as much as possible. But I apologize if there any inconsistencies! Just think of it as artistic expression lol.

"Keith Kogane!" A commanding voice called over the intercom.

The cafeteria fell deathly quiet. You could even hear the dish washing machines in the back of the kitchens.

Keith paused with his spoon halfway to his open mouth, glancing furtively at the numerous sets of eyes that had zeroed in on him. He could feels tons more boring into the back of his skull. Everyone knew that voice, it was Iverson.

"You are to report to my office immediately!" Iverson bellowed through the intercom. The static cut out and for a heartbeat the cafeteria was still quiet. But then, as if nothing had happened, the dull roar of hundreds of garrison cadets eating and talking resumed.

Keith started down at his uneaten meal, then dropped his spoon into his bowl with a sigh. He wasn't sure what he'd done this time, but he was sure Iverson would give him an earful.

He discarded the tray of food, ignoring the pangs of hunger, and trudged down the hall. Ever since Shiro had left for the Kerberos Mission, preceded by raucous applause and praise from the senior staff, Keith had been in a foul mood. The two weren't connected, he told himself constantly.

"Nice going, Keith," a cadet he vaguely remembered being in his year jeered at him as he walked past.

Keith flipped him off.

He tried to rack his brain to remember what he'd done to deserve the harsh summoning. He knew it couldn't have been his late night adventure to the cafeteria. He was just getting snacks, and besides, he wasn't the only cadet out of bed.

He furrowed his brow as he rounded the next corner, but something made him stop then back up so he was hidden from view.

Two senior staff members were having what looked to be a heated discussion. They were huddled together closely just outside of Iverson's office, looking like they were too afraid to go in. One glanced nervously down the hall and Keith stepped further back from the corner to be safe. Once the grey haired staff member assumed no one was there he spoke a little louder.

"Should we tell him?" He asked his friend.

Keith couldn't see them, but he assumed the friend shook his head "no" because the grey haired one sighed.

"I know it's too soon according to protocol," the grey haired one continued. "Jumping to conclusions can harm more than it can help..."

"We'll just raise unnecessary alarms and cause panic!" The friend replied. "Commander Holt is a hero to the Galaxy Garrison."

Keith's eyes widened. If they were talking about Commander Holt, then they must be referring to the Kerberos Mission. Shiro was there. He edged closer, straining his ears to make sure he didn't miss a thing.

"Shh!" The grey haired one exclaimed. "Keep your voice down, Micah! We don't know anything yet besides that they're late for their check in."

Keith's stomach dropped. He knew his best friend and Shiro always did things by the books. If there was a check in scheduled with the garrison, then he would have raised hell to make the call on time. An eerie sense of dread settled over Keith.

Before either could speak a door slid open. Keith peeked around the corner to see Iverson emerging from his office.

"Why are you dawdling outside my door?" Iverson asked.

The two men stiffened but then quickly fumbled over words in a half ass attempt at an excuse. Iverson huffed in annoyance.

"I don't really care," he grunted. "Have you seen cadet Kogane? He's late."

The two men shook their heads before running off down the hall. Keith watched them go before steeling himself and sprinting around the corner, pretending to be out of breath.

"Sir!" Keith called to him. Iverson's eye twitched.

"It's about time." Iverson stepped back into his office, motioning for Keith to follow. "Do you not know what the word immediately means?"

"Sorry, sir." Keith didn't provide an excuse. He was trying to put together the pieces in his mind to decipher the conversation he'd overheard.

"Just..." Iverson started to say, but then his face softened. "Don't let it happen again."

Keith watched Iverson curiously as the man leaned against his desk, looking more informal than Keith had ever seen him. He felt it was a safe bet no one had ever seen him look so casual. His hat was missing, the first few buttons of his uniform undone, and Keith was pretty sure there was alcohol on his desk.

"Sir?" Keith gently pushed.

Iverson sighed and motioned for Keith to have a seat in one of his stiff armchairs. Keith didn't move.

"Suit yourself," Iverson replied. "But I don't have good news."

Keith immediately started to panic internally. He thought about what he'd overheard in the hall and his anxious mind began to rave with a thousand and one possibilities of what the bad news could be.

Iverson noted the odd look on Keith's face. He stood up from where he was leaning, then folded his arms over his chest.

"You know something?" Iverson questioned.

Keith bit his lip. He glanced from Iverson to the door, then decided it was best to say what he'd overheard.

"The two staff members outside your office," Keith said. "They said something about Commander Holt and being late for their check in with the garrison."

Iverson cursed under his breath. "It's already spreading."

"What is?" Keith asked more urgently.

"I had hoped to keep this tight lipped until we could perform a thorough investigation," Iverson said dismally. "It seems we have lost contact with Commander Holt and his crew."

Keith suddenly wished he had taken the offer to sit down. His knees felt weak and his heart was beating so heavily it hurt. He stared blankly at the far wall a moment, trying to process the information.

"Lost contact?" Keith repeated. "W-when were they supposed to check in?"

"Yesterday," Iverson replied. "It's been 24 hours and no contact. The last transmission we have was when they arrived on Kerberos."

Keith was at a loss. What could keep them away from their comms for a whole day? Maintenance issues? Maybe they got lost on the planet? But Keith knew. He knew it wasn't that easy a fix. What bothered him now was how they were dancing around the real issue.

"Why are you telling me this?" Keith asked. "I’m not exactly your favorite cadet. But you're willing to tell me classified information?"

Iverson leaned back against his desk. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then looked right at Keith.

"You are Takashi Shirogane's best friend," Iverson stated simply. "You're the closest person to him at the garrison. It is my job, as the leader around here, to make difficult phone calls."

Keith didn't like where this was going.

"Sometimes," Iverson continued, "I have to do this in person."

"Stop," Keith demanded. "He's not dead."

Iverson gave him a questioning look. But to Keith it just looked like pity.

"Keith," Iverson said as gently as he could. "We accessed the communication lines on their ship. We played the video feed over the past 24 hours. Right before they were supposed to check in, the entire ship shook. None of the crew members got back into the ship after that."

"So that automatically means they're dead?!" Keith shouted. "What about the proper investigation you mentioned? Are you actually trying to find them?!"

Iverson regarded him coolly. "Listen here, cadet. I'm in charge around here. So I make the calls. This loss is significant to all of us, but it's just that, a loss. Don't go raising your hopes for something with no guarantee."

Keith was seething with anger because it was easier than letting the other emotions take over. Shiro was out there somewhere, most likely in need of help, and the garrison wasn't going to lift a finger.

"I told you this as a courtesy," Iverson said after a moment. "I know you two were good friends. But don't let this affect your fly--"

"Are," Keith snapped. "We are good friends."

"Right," Iverson sighed. "Like I was saying, you're the top pilot. I expect your performance to remain unhindered."

Keith squinted at him. He bit back a nasty retort, sure it would be a one way ticket to getting kicked out. Without another word he marched to the door.

"One last thing," Iverson called after him. Keith stopped and waited. "This will be made public soon enough. No need to cause panic, understood?"

Keith nodded. He was never good at keeping his mouth shut but he didn't feel like being friendly with anyone anymore.

\---

It was hard, at first. Nigh impossible to forget about the missing crew. About his missing best friend. After the knowledge became public the entire garrison was in a flurry. People constantly spreading rumors and asking unsuspecting staff members invasive questions became a common thing.

Keith avoided everyone. He buried himself in his training and quickly impressed Iverson even more with his flying. He truly earned the spot as top pilot. Despite a few guys in his class and their lame complaints, Keith was becoming well liked.

But at night he had dreams. They were always simple, usually a memory of Shiro. But then they quickly turned into nightmares filled with blood as Shiro was ripped away from him. He left a trail of blood as he was dragged away into the darkness, calling for Keith.

Keith would run after him but he kept stumbling and his legs felt like they were trudging through molasses. Eventually the trail would run cold, the darkness to heavy to see through, and there would be nothing but his own fear. Shiro was gone.

Keith sat bolt upright. His hair was matted and his clothes were clinging to his body from sweat. When he realized he was still in his room, he flopped back down onto the bed.

"Again?" He groaned into the dark. It was the fourth night in a row he'd had that dream.

He checked the clock at his bedside, noting it was about time for him to get up anyway. He padded over to his desk, and marked off the previous day on his calendar.

"Five months already?" Keith asked no one. "Oh..."

He saw he'd missed a week on his calendar. Somehow he'd forgotten to mark off every day of that week. That wasn't like him at all. He'd been meticulously keeping track of how long Shiro had been missing. To forget to check a whole week was odd for him.

Keith tried not to think what that could mean.

"Remember Shiro. He's important to you," Keith chanted to himself. "Remember Shiro. Find Shiro. Remember Shiro."

The alarm clock rang. He switched it off, then without another thought he headed to training.

Seven months later, Keith was holed up in his little shack. He'd gotten fed up with everyone saying Shiro was dead and snapped at Iverson. That was the last straw, and so he was kicked out of the garrison.

He found a new hobby to absorb himself in, tracking odd energy readings. He just needed something to keep his mind preoccupied. Once he realized the readings were leading to...something...he felt a spark of hope. It was a nostalgic feeling.

Keith stared intently at his maps and charts, feeling he was close. Then it hit him, tonight was the night. All these readings were guiding him to this day. He could feel it.

He dashed out the front door, not sure what he was looking for. Just then, way up in the sky, he saw a flash of light.

"That's it!" Keith exclaimed.

He quickly grabbed his helmet then headed out, following the trail of the falling craft.

"I wonder if..." Keith started to speak to himself again. But then he quickly shook his head, speeding up towards the plume of smoke in the distance. 


End file.
